The following list provides the phonetic spelling of Tibetan and Nepali terms in bold, followed by the correct spelling in italics (using the Wiley system for Tibetan terms, with Nepali terms using a transliteration according to the Devanagari system), and then the definition of the term(s) in English. See “A Note on Tibetan and Nepali Terms” (near the beginning of the book).
Tibetan Terms
amchi (am-chi): practitioner of Tibetan medicine
bayul (sbas-yul): hidden valley
Bön (bon): pre-Buddhist religious traditions and practices of Tibet
chagje (phyag-rjes): handprint
Changtang (byang-thang): “northern plains,” the Tibetan Plateau
changu (spyang-ki): Tibetan wolf
chu gyen (chu-gyan): tossing dice for the distribution of water
Chu Shi Gang Druk (chu-bshi-sgang-drug): “four rivers, six mountain ridges”—Tibetan name for resistance fighters who waged a guerilla war against the Chinese between 1951 and 1974
chubba (phyu-pa): Tibetan overgarment
churpi (phyu-ra): Tibetan dried cheese
Dolpo-pa (dol-po-ba): a person of Dolpo; this term is not italicized in the text
dzo (mdzo): yak-cattle crossbreed; a female yak-cattle crossbreed would be a dzo-mo (mdzo-mo).
gyu shi (rgyud-bshi): four treatises that form the foundation of Tibetan medicine
jindak (sbyin-bdag): literally, “sponsor of the gift,” referring to a patron-client relationship
kardzin (skar-’dzin): literally, “to catch or grasp the stars,” referring to doing something or going somewhere prior to the actual day planned, since the actual day is astrologically inauspicious
Khampa (kham-pa): a person from Kham; also, the common name for Tibetan Resistance fighters who waged guerrilla warfare against the Chinese between 1951–1974
kurim (sku-rim): religious prayer service
Kundun (sku-mdun): “in the presence of”; name used to refer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
lama (bla-ma): a spiritual teacher or mentor
lampa (lam-pa): “lead yak,” from lam-sne-ba or “path leader”
lha yak (lha-gyag): “god yak,” the yak chosen among a herd as the best animal and marked by religious flags that are sewn into its mane and ears
lhapsang (lha-bsangs): burning incense as a ritual offering; performed as a ceremony to invoke divine blessings and remove obstacles prior to a journey
lhe gyen (lhas-rgyan): throwing dice for livestock pens, a community resource management system practiced to distribute rights to pastures
lotho (lo-tho): Tibetan almanac
magpa (mag-pa): son-in-law who is married into the household of the bride
metsug (me-’dzugs): moxibustion. (Using a heated rod, Tibetan doctors and veterinarians cauterize pressure points in the event of lameness and bone fractures, as well as to prevent communicable diseases.)
midzom (mi-’dzoms): traditional village assembly of Dolpo
na (gna’): blue sheep (L., Pseudois nayaur)
netsang (gnas-tshang): business partner and fictive kin
ngagpa (sngags-pa): tantric practitioner
ralug (ra-lug): goats and sheep
rame (ra-me): community system by which fuel resources are distributed in some villages of Dolpo; possibly derived from ra-’degs-pa, meaning to help or assist
rangjung (rang-byung): self-grown, naturally occurring
rinpoche (rin-po-che): literally, “precious gem,” a term of address or title for incarnate lamas
rongba (rong-pa): literally, “deep valley” or “farming area”—used by culturally Tibetan peoples to refer to those who live in the lowlands
samadrok (sa-ma-‘brog): agro-pastoralists or semi-nomads
shabje (shabs-rjes): footprint
shingkha (shing-kha): agricultural field
srung (srung-ba): protective charms or amulets
tar nga (dar-lnga): five-color (blue, yellow, red, white, green) prayer flags commonly seen in homes and monasteries throughout the Tibetan-speaking world
thangka (thang-ka): Tibetan scroll painting
torma (gtor-ma): a cone-shaped ritual offering made from tsampa and butter
Tralung (Grwa-lung): chief monastery of Panzang Valley in Dolpo
tralpön (khral-dpon): official in charge of tax collection in traditional village administration of Dolpo
trungyik (drung-yig): secretary-treasurer in traditional village administration of Dolpo
tsa (rtsa): pressure points
tsakpu (btsag-bu): small, pointed metal awl
tsampa (rtsam-pa): roasted barley flour, the staple of the Tibetan-speaking world
tse thar (tse-thar): ritual by which a domestic animal is freed and dedicated to the gods in order to help its owner gain merit or avert tragedy
yak (gyag): yak (L., Bos grunniens)
Nepali Terms
aamaa toli (āmāṭolī): village women’s associations formed by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project to undertake grassroots development
bhote (bhoṭe): pejorative term used throughout Nepal for culturally or ethnically Tibetan peoples
bikaas (vikās): development, progress, expansion
Dasain (dasaī): the major Hindu festival of Nepal
hamro man milcha (hāmro man milcha): “Our hearts and minds match” (i.e., we agree)
Jana Aandolan (jan āndolan): people’s movement; the 1990 Nepali democracy movement
jaat (jāt): caste; ethnic group
laal mohor (lāl mohor): the red seal (i.e., the royal seal of Nepal); royal rescript
maanaa (mānā): a unit of measurement.
Muluki Ain (muluki ain): the first national civil code of law, promulgated in 1854, which established the legal basis for castes and forbade intercaste marriages in Nepal
naapi (nāpi): land survey
naur (naur): blue sheep (L., Pseudois nayaur)
panchayat (pancayat): a council of five ministers or elders; the partyless system of government created in 1962 by King Mahendra of Nepal, which banned political parties, vested sovereignty in the crown, and made the king the source of legislative, executive, and judicial power.
ryot (ryot): tax-paying peasant; also, agricultural quota forced upon farmers by Nepal’s ruling elite, specifically (in this text) in connection with growing opium
Sagarmatha (Sagaramāthā): Nepali name for Mount Everest
subba (subba): before the 1960s, title of a magistrate or collector in Nepal
Tarai (Tarai): the region that comprises the southern third of Nepal, a low-lying subtropical belt